Defeating Global Terrorism Requires Russia-US Deal – Ex-EU Commission Head

The former European Commission President, an agreement between Moscow and Washington is the only way to rid the world of terrorism.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — It will only be possible to defeat terrorism if Russia and the United States make a deal on the issue, former President of the European Commission Romano Prodi said Thursday.

"The recent decision of Putin on Syria is a very positive change, but If we want to defeat terrorism, we need an agreement between the United States and Russia," Prodi, who is also former Prime Minister of Italy, told reporters.

He stressed that the situation in Syria is no different than the one in Libya, where the ousting of long-term leader Muammar Gaddaffi with the help of external forces led to anarchy in the country.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the withdrawal of the main contingent of the country's air and naval forces in Syria, starting from Tuesday, as the main tasks set for Moscow's five-month operation against terrorist groups in Syria had broadly been accomplished.

A Moscow-Washington-brokered deal on a ceasefire in Syria came into force on February 27.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by telephone, during which he underscored the need to move forward with the process of political transition in Syria.